on the broadcast tonight, sweating it out. millions suffering in a brutal heat wave without power and no relief in sight for days. burn zone. the job of fighting those massive wildfires in the west takes a new, deadly turn. tonight, new video of firefighters in a moment of crisis trying to decide what to save. health care fraud. a giant pharmaceutical company and a multi billion dollar settlement involving its most popular prescription drug. and the enduring mystery. what happened to amelia earhart? tonight a new mission joins the search for one of the world's most famous women. why this time is different. most famous women. why this time is different. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. i'm natalie morales in for brian. we begin tonight with mother nature's wrath from east to west. across half of the country temperatures continue in the triple digits and it's not just the heat in the mid-atlantic region but the aftermath of friday's storms adding to the problems there. the death toll has now risen to 22. at the height of the storm over 5 million people were without power. now it's down to 1.9 million and they could continue without it all week. our team has it covered. nbc's tom costello starts off tonight in chevy chase, maryland. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, natalie. good evening to you. across d.c., virginia, and maryland hundreds of neighborhoods look just like this, a massive tree down, in this case it just missed this house. power lines are down and, as you said, it is hot. across the mid-atlantic today, the most dangerous jobs had to belong to the crews strapped

into cherry pickers. dressed in protective rubber gear and working to untangle what looked like a spider's web of downed electrical lines and snapped poles. friday night much of the power grid seemed engulfed in violent explosions. today the threat was still very real. >> a number of sections hit hot spots where there were actually flames shooting up from those power lines. >> reporter: with no power, hundreds of traffic lights remained dark and intersections dangerous. amid predictions it could be until late friday night before the power is fully restored staffers were relocating senior citizens from a home in greenville, maryland over the weekend. >> they told me seven days. who can wait seven days with hundred degrees? my apartment is like an oven. >> reporter: it was friday night hurricane-force winds tore through the region. in their wake downed trees, crushed cars and homes, stores

and gas stations closed. in north carolina late yesterday three more people were killed in violent weather. tonight states of emergency remain in maryland, virginia, west virginia, ohio, and d.c. as 1 to 2 million people are still without power and suffering from triple digit heat. >> it's hurricane impact without the three to four days of hurricane warnings. >> reporter: for tourists at the washington monument relief came in the form of snow cones and water fountains. on the other side of town sandra o'brien and her kids were on their front porch hoping to catch a breeze, while inside -- >> the cheese is going bad and the chicken that's in here is going bad. >> reporter: almost everything in the 'fridge and freezer was going into the trash. that's a lot of money to have to throw out. >> that is a lot of money. >> reporter: it is july and it's hot in the east. not uncommon here. but without power exceptionally uncomfortable and even dangerous. to put all of this into

perspective, hurricane katrina knocked out power in some cases for a very long time to about 3 million people. this storm knocked out power to 5 million people at one point. yes, power has been coming back, but it has been a rough few days. natalie, back to you. >> all right. tom costello in chevy chase, maryland. thanks so much. will the heat wave break any time soon? we're joined by the weather channel's mike seidel in the nation's capital. mike, good evening. >> reporter: hey, natalie. no real breakthrough in washington. although today heat dropped down to 95 degrees. that offered absolutely no relief to the thousands who still don't have air conditioning as this blazing july sun once again turned homes into ovens. now the historic heat over the weekend did shift out of those cities. nashville hit 109. atlanta with 106 both saturday and sunday. today almost like a spring day in atlanta. only 92. but excessive heat warnings are up across the midwest as the twin cities soared to a record high this afternoon of 98. it's going to be another

blistering day in chicago. their 20th 90-degree day this season already two more than an average summer. for the 4th the hottest weather outside of the deserts will be in the middle of the country, not record setting, but all above average temperatures in some cases 10 degrees above average. on the 4th there will be thunderstorms in the northeast from boston to d.c. to atlanta. in washington's case, natalie, maybe the only way to stay cool on the 4th without power without air conditioning is to head outside and stand in the rain. >> all right. mike seidel, you at least try to stay cool there in washington, d.c. thank you. further west, the job of fighting fires has taken a deadly turn as a c-130 air tanker from the north carolina air national guard crashed in south dakota sunday with a crew of six. this latest tragedy adding to the toll as wildfires continued to burn in ten states. nbc's miguel almaguer went into the fire zone today of the waldo canyon fire in colorado springs.

>> reporter: the c-130 is a fire fighting work horse. the plane, similar to this one, with a crew of six, crashed in south dakota. the military cargo plane is specially equipped to douse flames with its 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in just seconds. >> they don't get much better than that. >> reporter: among the casualties, lieutenant colonel paul michael, a veteran of iraq and afghanistan. today the fleet of eight is grounded. >> our thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost their lives and to those who are injured. >> all houses on fire. >> reporter: this is what firefighters came face to face with -- a fast moving firestorm that swallowed homes and claimed two lives. >> radiant heat. blocks on fire. >> reporter: described as an epic firefight, flames shot a hundred feet into the air, a wall of fire barreled down from the hills. >> everything has gone through

this neighborhood through here. >> reporter: lieutenant smaldino was among the first to arrive. >> this was like a blow torch coming through here. fire, smoke where you can't see anything through here. and i'll tell you, up until we came up here later, i didn't know how many houses were actually out there. >> i'm losing my house. >> reporter: nicole frey, among thousands, forced to flee the flames. many narrowly escaped with their lives. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: the community of mountain shadows was hardest hit. some 350 homes here destroyed in a matter of three hours. some residents were allowed to return back home. damon bolling had moved here to retire. >> there was nothing left -- ashes and trash and not even scrap. >> reporter: tonight as some begin to rebuild their lives, thanks to firefighters, many of their neighbors still have a home. >> i want to thank you.

>> you're welcome, sir. >> i didn't expect that thing to be standing, quite frankly. >> reporter: with destruction like this scattered across so many neighborhoods, tonight 2,000 people are still evacuated but with this fire 55% contained crews are making progress after that air tanker crash it's feared four are dead tonight. natalie? >> such a horrific loss. miguel almaguer in colorado springs, thank you. there is news tonight about the company that makes some very big name prescription drugs. glaxo smith kline has agreed today to pay a multi billion dollar fine, the largest ever in a health care fraud case. here's nbc's justice correspondent pete williams. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome -- >> reporter: at the launch of asthma drug advair prosecutors say global drug giant glaxo smith kline pushed the sales force to push hard even for uses not federally approved. >> who wants to be a millionaire?

>> reporter: today the company admitted its sales force bribed doctors to prescribe its drugs by offering such incentives as hawaiian vacations and tickets to madonna concerts. all part, the government says, of a range of misbehavior that resulted today in the largest fine ever paid by a drug company, $3 billion. >> this historic action is a clear warning to any company that chooses to break the law. >> reporter: here is some of what the company admitted doing -- promoting the use of its antidepressant paxil for children even though studies failed to show it worked for them, failing to warn that the diabetes drug could cause heart attacks and claiming unapproved uses for another antidepressant wellbutrin by saying it could help patients lose weight and overcome sexual problems. >> hired a public relations firm to create a buzz about getting skinny and how you could have more sex simply by using this drug.

>> reporter: today the ceo said the behavior happened in a different era for the company and that it is fundamentally changed in its procedures for compliance, marketing, and selling. and the company has agreed to a new integrity policy. no more rewarding the sales force on the number of drugs sold and executives could lose their bonuses if the people working for them break the rules. pete williams, nbc news, at the justice department. >> tonight we are learning what went wrong in that fiery crash last april when a navy fighter jet slammed into an apartment complex in virginia beach. the navy says both engines failed within moments of takeoff. the two-man crew was unable to regain control and ejected at the last second. miraculously, nobody on the ground was killed and tonight the navy says the pilot did everything by the book and it doesn't know what caused the exceedingly rare dual engine failure. there is shocking video tonight from syria of the moment of a funeral procession when it was hit by a car bomb in damascus.

the capital where not even a funeral can take place in peace. dozens were killed in the attack. it's not known who did this but the survivors blamed the syrian regime. mexico has a projected winner in its presidential election with a comfortable majority of the vote enrique pena nieto is not yet in office but is wasting no time getting started pledging changes to the drug war and to the economy. but his presidency comes with controversy. nbc's mark potter is in mexico city with more. >> reporter: declaring victory before cheering supporters enrique pena nieto promised to jump-start mexico's sluggish economy. [ speaking in other language ] and to offer no deal, no break to those involved in organized crime. in a country ravaged by a vicious six-year drug war which cost 55,000 lives pena nieto says he will use a new strategy

to combat violence -- a promise that worries many in the u.s. >> he's trying to look at this in the way most mexican citizens do. they're not worried about drug cartels. they're not worried about king pins. they're worried about commonplace violence happening in their communities. >> reporter: pena nieto's election returns to power the political party known as the pri which ran mexico for 71 straight years until it was voted out 12 years ago, accused of widespread corruption and ties to drug cartels. pena nieto claims the pri is different now, but many are skeptical. >> no. there is no sign the pri is really willing to take on corruption because they are the party that has most benefited from corruption. >> reporter: today president obama called pena nieto to congratulate him promising the u.s. will continue to work closely with mexico on economic and regional security issues. >> reporter: during his political campaign he and his wife, a soap opera star, drew

huge, enthusiastic crowds, popularity he will likely need to draw upon when he takes office and begins to tackle the tough issues concerning both mexico and the u.s. mark potter, nbc news, mexico city. this is a good time to let you know about something new that we're very proud of here at nbc news -- the launch of our website nbc latino.com, a new english language news, information, and lifestyle website featuring hispanic perspectives. i'll be a regular contributor along with many of my colleagues. coming up next as "nightly news" continues, setting buildings on fire on purpose. the unusual experiment here in new york city that could help keep neighborhoods safe across america. and later, a new search for answers to a 75-year-old mystery. what happened to one of the world's most daring women?

here in new york city today an unusual scene to say the least. members of the fire department who usually put fires out

starting them instead. they'll be back at it tomorrow. it's all part of an experiment that could help firefighters here and around the country figure out the best way to do their dangerous jobs and keep communities safe. nbc's ron allen has special access to what they're calling a live burn. >> reporter: when several fires erupted today on new york's governors island the fire department watched carefully then put out the flames they, themselves, had set. a rare chance to turn abandoned buildings slated for demolition into a fire safety laboratory. >> this isn't just brute force. firefighters have to be intelligent. they have to know what they're doing. they have to have a planned attack. >> reporter: experts say the construction and contents of modern homes make them burn faster. especially furniture made from synthetic materials. one tragic example in 2007, a fire in a furniture show room in charleston that killed nine firefighters. here the fdny has put dozens of

sensors, cameras, and monitors in 20 homes. in this scenario the fire is in the basement. >> this is what a firefighter would do. goes down into the basement. >> yes. they would bring their hose line and try and advance down and get to the seat of the fire. >> ignition is five, four, three, two, one, ignition. >> reporter: they ignite the couch and watch. in just eight minutes as you can see when we speed up the video the room fills with smoke. a big concern? how does ventilation, opening doors, windows, breaking through the roof affect fires? >> maybe the thing to do is just close the door and not go in this place. let the fire starve itself. >> reporter: they're not expecting to make any huge revolutionary breakthroughs here today but it is more about tweaking and refining firefighting tactics that work and in this case a tweak here and there can mean the difference between life and death. 83 firefighters were killed in the u.s. last year. on average more than 38,000 are

injured fighting fires. they hope to reduce that along with the number of residents who die. >> we test it and implement it in our tactical strategies and we know it's going to make a difference. >> reporter: lessons that may well affect how firefighters everywhere do their jobs. ron allen, nbc news, new york. up next a tiebreaker called off for two u.s. olympic women. what happens now after that photo finish? this country was built by working people.

the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm proud of that. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪ just 25 days to go until the start of the summer olympics in london and tonight an unprecedented tiebreaker has been called off. after that extraordinary third place finish that not even a photo could call americans jeneba tarmoh and allyson felix were competing for a spot on the u.s. track and field team. they had agreed to go head to

head tonight but earlier today tarmoh changed her mind. she feels she won the first time so felix will run the race in london, tarmoh will go but as an alternate. the two women, who are training partners, say they are still friends. here is the true olympic spirit. the 2008 olympic all around champion nastia liukin slipped on the uneven bars over the weekend falling face down on the mat but picked herself up and finished the event then got a standing ovation. in the end, sadly, she did not make the team. there is a new beginning tonight for an old icon and she may look familiar. this is a small scale replica of the statue of liberty cast in bronze by the same french artist who made america's statue more than a hundred years ago. this version has stood for years in the gardens in paris. it was in bad shape but now has been cleaned up and restored with the help of some americans in paris. today this lady liberty made her debut in a new home at the

museum. we've lost an invaluable member of the nbc family and a pioneer of this business. former nbc chairman of the board julian goodman died this morning. he started at nbc news back when television news began in the 1940s and helped create the hugely successful "huntley brinkley report" the forerunner to this broadcast. he went on to serve as nbc's president and then its chairman. in his 34 years at nbc he was a champion of freedom of the press and one of the most admired and respected figures in broadcasting. julian goodman was 90. when we come back, unraveling the mystery of amelia earhart.

finally tonight it has been 75 years since a remarkable life ended and an enduring mystery began. what happened to amelia earhart? this week a new expedition departs from honolulu to perform a new kind of search, one that could perhaps finally answer the question. here's nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> a lady adventurer, a heroine of the skies. >> reporter: she was a pioneer of flight whose feats made imaginations soar.

>> i hope it will increase women in this in time. >> reporter: in 1937 amelia earhart and her navigator set out to circle the globe. >> contemplated about 27,000 miles. >> reporter: she almost made it, an astonishing piece of flying from california to new guinea. but 75 years ago today over the remote south pacific amelia earhart disappeared. triggering a massive search and sparking one of the enduring mysteries of our time. her plane went down near a group of tiny, uninhabited islands. rick gillespie, who has devoted years to the search for earhart, believes she landed safely. >> you think she was a castaway. >> oh, yes. there is quite good evidence that she was a castaway. >> excavations on this island have turned up products that appear to be manufactured in the u.s. in the 1930s. a woman's compact, a flight jacket zipper, and a jar that may have once held freckle cream. >> earhart had freckles and

didn't like her freckles. >> reporter: add that to a newly discovered photo taken several months after earhart's disappearance that seems to show something. >> it does appear we have a picture of a piece of debris from her airplane on the reef of this island. >> reporter: armed with new, deep water submersibles and side scanning sonar technology, gillespie and his team will test their theory that earhart's plane was washed off the reef where it landed into the depths below. if they find anything on sonar, then this goes in the water, a specially designed remote operated vehicle that could give us our first clear pictures of earhart's plane in 75 years. skeptics say earhart crashed into the ocean elsewhere or that 75 years in churning seas would have broken up the plane. but researchers are confident. so if there is something out there? >> we'll see. >> reporter: a new team of explorers on the hunt for one of history's greatest adventurers and the answers that could finally put a mystery and a

heroine to rest. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, honolulu. >> that's our broadcast for this monday night. thanks for being with us. i'm natalie morales. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. we hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good monday evening. >> hi fire danger and the fourth of july holiday could prove to be an explosive combination this year. the fear that the fire departments so scaled back from budget cuts, responding to a fire might take much longer than usual. in contra cost